The Paragrallomyia albibasis complex species

Paragrallomyia aequorea new species

(Figs. 3–5)

Description (male only): Body length 5 mm; wing 3.5 mm. Head and abdomen brown; thorax mostly dark brown, light brown behind postpronotal lobes. Palpus dark brown except for white outer face. Clypeus brown with sparse pale microsetulae. First flagellomere dark brown. Fronto-orbital plate dark brown. Row of katepisternal setae brownish. Fore tibia brown. Fore tarsus white with brownish pubescence ventrally at base of tarsomere one. Hind femur mostly brown, narrowly white basally and with a small preapical white ring. Tergites brown.

Head: First flagellomere covered by white microsetulae. Frontal vitta darkened anterior to ocellar plate. Frontal vitta flat, not swollen anterior to ocellar plate. Epicephala merging in between level of ocellar setae and level of inner vertical setae insertions (Fig. 4). Epicephalon flat, same level as frontal vitta.

Thorax: Mesonotum with lines of thin brownish microsetulae. Anterior half of postpronotal lobe bare. Femur covered with sparse black microsetulae. Mid and hind tibia flattened, sulcus on outer face strongly pronounced and curved. Cell r 4+5 open at the tip of the wing.

Abdomen: Copulatory fork with quadrate inner basal lobes (Fig. 5). Ejaculatory apodeme smaller than epandrium and with a reduced blade, length subequal to sperm pump. Phallapodeme short, not extending to anterior limit of hypandrium. Distiphallus long, longer than epandrium; phallic bulb subequal in length and width. Distal distiphallus short and thin, 1/4 the length and almost half the width of basal distiphallus.

Type material: Holotype: COLOMBIA. Amazonas, PNN Amacayacu Matamata m1, 3º41’S 70º15’W, 150 m, 9–30.VII.2001, Malaise, M. 2033, D. Chota (1 ♂, DEBU01086459, IAVH).

Distribution: Colombia.

Etymology: The specific name refers to the flattened epicephalon and frontal vitta of this species (Latin aequor: even level surface).

Comments: P. aequorea is similar to P. colombiana n. sp. but with a flattened epicephalon and frontal vitta. The copulatory fork also differs because of the quadrate inner basal lobes.